BOXER Callum Simpson will be looking for revenge against the only man to beat him in professional boxing, Troy Williamson, when they rematch later this summer.
Simpson, from Barnsley, was unbeaten in 17 when he lost his British, Commonwealth and European super-middleweight titles to Williamson in December at Leeds Arena.
They are now due to meet again at the same venue on August 8, which will be both men’s first fight since the Christmas showdown.
Williamson has vacated the European belt but the others will be on the line.
Simpson previously won the belts in fights at Oakwell in the summers of 2024 and 2025.
Simpson, 29, told the Chronicle: “It’s been a long time coming.
“I activated the rematch clause the day after the fight but we’re finally ready now.
“We were aiming for May then Troy announced he was fighting on the Tyson Fury undercard, then we couldn’t do it during the World Cup.
“It’s been a struggle but now it’s all systems go.
“This fight is even bigger.
“Troy has been talking a lot on social media.
“He was buzzing to do the rematch but now he’s doing nothing but complain. But I will just focus on getting redemption.
“Every fight is must win and I train hard for them all. But that was my first loss and I really want to get back on track.
“If I had beaten Troy we would have been having another massive night at Oakwell this summer.
“It wasn’t meant to be.
“I still want to bring those nights back to Barnsley but I have to fully focus on August 8 in Leeds.”
Simpson thanked the Barnsley public for their support since his last fight.
“A lot of people say you have loads of fans when you’re winning but, when you lose, they are fickle.
“But after that loss I had more people reach out to me than I have ever had. People support me for me not just because I am winning.
“I think I have the best support in the country, by a mile.
“I have seen them all walking through town or at Barnsley games.
“The support and comfort they have given me means a lot. I can’t wait to make them proud again.”
Since January, Simpson has been coached by Rob McCracken, the performance director at GB Boxing who previously coached Carl Froch and Anthony Joshua to world titles.
